Twisted
by Kooliosity
Summary: The Hunger Games feast: for Katniss, everything changes here. After a strange encouter with Clove and being spared by Thresh on account of "a life for a life", how will Kat change? And, will Girl on Fire be forever a different young woman when Cato has a say?


The backpack was orange and labeled 12. It was undoubtedly what I needed to get to save Peeta. In that little backpack was the solution to my largest problem but the other large problem at the moment was how to get that pack. That is, without getting speared by Cato, crushed by Thresh (who was still nowhere to be seen or heard), stuck in the back by Clove, or possibly killed by Foxface somehow (unlikely).

As I sat there debating strategies, a dash of red and black caught my eye. I looked up from my low profile squat on the ground behind some brush. Foxy! She was running full speed for her medium sized green pack on the table. She swept it up into her arm, all ready at the table by the Cornucopia and ran back to the woods whence she came. No one even tried to stop her. Should I try Foxface's approach? Just dodge straight to the copia and grab my pack….?

Out of the question. I'm fast, but not that fast. One of District 2's remaining tributes would surely catch me and kill me. And of course, Thresh could appear at any moment from the grasslands beyond the drop off. I'll just wait and see what everyone else does.

After only 15 minutes, my patience ran dry. I crept out from behind my hiding spot and edged behind the nearest tree. Still no one was approaching the feast table. Peeta was literally dying every moment I wasn't returning with the pack though. One the mental count to three, I loaded an arrow and dashed for the table. I checked left then right and still nothing happened!

It was the luckiest moment I'd had that day in the games! There was no Clove, no Thresh, not even Cato. I made it to the Cornucopia unscathed and grabbed my small District 12 pack and turned around t dash away.

I should have known. It was too easy. I don't know how I thought I would get away with just grabbing the mini backpack and returning to Peeta. There, standing before me, grin maniacal, was Clove. She had her hand knives pointed at me and for second, don't think either of us moved. Me from pure disbelief and fear of that look; her, I suppose it was of the "about-to-pounce-on-my-prey" instinct. Anyhow, I was done flinching and raised my bow to shoot.

Too late! Clove was all ready mid air and she grabbed my arrow in her fist on her way to landing on me. She pinned me to the ground underneath her and pointed one of those especially sharp and glinting knives at my face. I kicked and tried to shove her off me. To no use. Clove grabbed my wrists and applied enough pressure to nearly break them both. Then she picked her knives back up and began to speak to me.

Rather, it more like spit at me. Clove began, "Cato made me promise-," insane laugh, "that if I caught you, I would make your death slloooowww, and-," she stopped to sneer at me. "Painful!" I winced. Clove was off her rocker for sure, but what was worse was that I had failed. Miss District 2 was going to kill me. Now I had also certainly caused the death of Peeta. Failed him. Prim would be without a protecter. Failed her! Rue was all ready dead. Failed her. And Gale was now without a hunting partner. Failed him.

I am a failure! My mind was too over loaded with thoughts of failure and self pity that I didn't even notice that Clove was kissing me for a few moments. What? What the fuck! I screamed at her! "What are you doing? You are supposed to be killing me, not kissing me," I managed to shout at her. She looked pleased. Clove then shook me by saying, "I just thought I'd experiment a little with my toy. Besides, all of Panem is watching and they have all got to be creaming after that kiss. "

I didn't understand what she meant, but I didn't want to know either. Then Clove said, "Right. Back to the killing you business." I was humiliated, scared, worried, shocked, and curious at the same time. I don't know why, but suddenly I said to Clove, who was now only inches away from stabbing my hand, "Wait!" Even more bizarre, was that she did.

"Yes," Clove asked. "What is it? I have to kill you sooner or later." I gave her the straightest face I could muster in my state and said, "Kiss me again, please." And Clove did. It was strange, but more satisfying than all of those silly pecks Peeta and I had shared. She stuck her tongue in my mouth and I sucked on it. Her mouth tasted like blood, almonds and dried fruit. I could feel her loosening her solid leg lock on my hips. Suddenly she stopped, leaving me wanting for more.

I looked to see why she might have stopped. I was still pinned under hr though so all I could manage was to turn my head. Lo and behold! All around us were falling almost 20 or so silver boxes with parachutes. I guess the viewers really go wild for something unseen before in the games.

And then, just as randomly as the silver packages descending upon us, came blood splattering on me. Though the blood splattered wasn't my blood. Thresh was there! "A life for a life," he said to me, dangling Clove's corpse in his right hand by her neck. He had sliced her head in half instantaneously. The cannon sounded then and I heard an animalistic scream come from who I inferred was Cato. "Run," Thresh then said to a bewildered me. I took off, still shaken by everything I had done that day. And what did Thresh mean just now with "a life for a life?"

I cold contemplate his meaning later after I had made it back to Peeta. I ran through the by now familiar arena to the stream. I followed it back to our cave and found Peeta in even worse condition. When he saw me, he seemed to literally lose the weights of his shoulders. I don't know why, but I felt guilty for kissing Crazy Clove when he smiled broadly at me broadly and opened his arms for a hug. I also felt stupid for not grabbing some of the silver boxes let by the copia by the doing of Clove and myself. Though I was too freaked out by Cato's scream and Tresh's barked "run" to even bother worrying about anything but the backpack and returning to Peeta.

Anyhow, I pulled out the remedy for blood poisoning from the mini pack and injected it into Peeta's arm. Then I proceeded to doctor up his leg as best as possible while the B.P injection went to work. Then I sat down and we began to catch up.

"I'm so glad you came back to me," Peeta said, I now in his embrace. "I heard that cannon and I was worried sick. Hey; and about knocking me out with that "sugar berry" lie earlier, not cool. But, as long as you never do it again, I forgive you." I tried to smile after he kissed me then, but it was a wasted effort. He saw something was wrong immediately. "What's wrong, Katniss? What happened back at the Cornucopia," Peeta said.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Now don't give me that bull shit Kat. Something is wrong and it is important you tell me. If we want to live through this together, we can have no secrets," Peeta said.

So I told him everything from leaving to go to the feast, to the first kiss with Clove, to Thresh's "a life for a life." By the time I was done, Peeta was just a statue. Throughout my tale, he never said a word and now, he was even more neutral. Finally he spoke, "Well, do you still love me?"

"Why, what a silly question! Of course I do," I said with all the realism possible for the cameras. Peeta didn't seem satisfied with my answer.

"Of course you what, Katniss, love?"

"Or course…..I….still love. You," I said. Peeta squeezed my shoulders and smiled.

"Let's go to sleep then," Peeta said unfazed.

We bundled up in the sleeping bag and he held me extra protectively that night. I dreamt of Clove. We were together, in a golden tub; naked. She was sucking on my breasts and I was moaning. Then Clove was kissing me lower and lower until she was right below my navel. I was sitting on the side of the enormous Jacuzzi tub and my moaning was relentless now. Clove was just about to hit to spot en suddenly I felt shaking. It was Peeta. "You okay, Lover girl," he whispered, both of us still under the sleeping bag. "Correct me if I am wrong Kat, but I'm 99% sure you were just having a sex dream!"

I was thankful for the dark because I could feel myself blush severely. "What? Why do you say that" I said, trying to play it cool. But, even late at night, Peeta could detect my lies. Peeta said, "Oh my God! You were! Admit it, Katniss!"

"Fine. I was, but let's go back to sleep," I said.

"What? You just had a sex dream! You gotta' tell what happened in it!"

"No, Peeta, I don't. Anyways, it's late, you're sick, and I nearly got killed today. Let's go to sleep. I'll tell you later if you really care. Good night."

Peeta scoffed and then chuckled. "All right. Good night then!"


End file.
